THE GOD MACHINE: “One Last Laugh In A Place Of Dying” (Fiction)

Helicopter blades scythe through the air, deep percussion paces are cut by buzzing guitars. And then, as the vocals rise out of the instrumentation, ‘Tremolo’ kicks in. “Tell myself that I don’t deserve this, that I’m just a simple man . . . All the bad things are in my mind.”

So begins the second album by The God Machine. And rest assured, it lives up to and surpasses all the expectations created by their excellent debut, Scenes From The Second Storey.

This time around, the breadth of these carefully structured and layered compositions is even more impressive. On the one hand there is metal-edged hardcore, all power and passion, as in ‘The Love Song’. Then again there is ‘Alone’ or ‘The Hunter’, more cautious, more controlled, stripped down to the barest of sounds.

And contrast is what The God Machine’s music thrives on. The more gentle and melodic a track is, the more it is imbued with magical power in contrast with the pummelling force of whatever follows. Which results in something akin to the visceral power-buzz of Helmet, married perfectly to the captivating passion of Jane’s Addiction, and all shrouded in the dark beauty of classic Faith-era Cure.

Meanwhile the lyrical bent of One Last Laugh In A Place Of Dying is about you and me, about our most secret desires and our most terrible fears. Sadly, it also is an epitaph to The God Machine’s bassist Jimmy Fernandez, who died earlier this year shortly after completing the album. A glorious legacy to leave behind and an essential addition to your collection.

• Dan Oggly